Boiler device



G. S. NEELEY BOILER DEVICE March 7, 1950 Filed. May 17, 1944 PatentedMar. 7, 1950 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOILER DEVICE George S.Neeley, Pacific, Mo. Application May 17, 1944, Serial No. 535,922

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to a boiler device, and more particularly itrelates to an apparatus and method for eliminating the pitting,corrosion and foaming that frequently characterize boiler operations,or, to a lesser degree, metallic liquid containers.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method of and a means foraccomplishing the foregoing objectives, including the resultant increasein efliciency of the boilers.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a methodand means that are inexpensive and that have no parts to be moved oradjusted.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a meansto control electric potentials that are present in a metallic liquidcontainer, such especially as a boiler, and to do so without introducingadditional undesirable electric potentials.

It is a further object to provide a means of this kind designed tocooperate with a foam trough installation on a boiler.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional View, partly broken away, of aconventional locomotive boiler with the installation therein,

Fig. 2 is a partial section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

This application is a continuation in part of application Serial No.413,712, filed October 6, 1941 (now abandoned).

The boiler shown includes an outer sheet I0, a re box casing I2 havingan end sheet I3, a flue sheet I4 and a crown sheet I5. There is a mudring I1 to which the crown sheet I5 and the outer sheet I are secured.The usual tubes I8 are secured to the flue sheet I4. A steam dome I6 isattached at the top of the outer sheet I0 in conventional fashion.

The water in the boiler is indicated at W, above which is a steam spaceS.

Many locomotives are equipped with foaming troughs 20 secured as bystraps 2I to the outer sheet above the water line and beneath the steamdome I6. These parts are conventionally made of sheet material of thesame composition as that of the outer sheet, the parts usually beingsheet steel.

The present invention comprises an electrode unit 25 comprising twotubes 26 and 21 formed of the same material as the tubes I8 of theboiler, and, in deed, which may be made of sections of discarded tubes.The two tubes 26 and 21 are permanently and electrically united to a U-shaped supporting strap 28, the legs of which are turned over the upperpart of the trough 20 `and tightly and electrically secured thereto. Theparts should be welded. The strap 28 is similarly made of sheet materialof the same chemical composition as that of the tubes 2B and 21.

It will be seen that the tubes 26 and 2l are disposed below the waterline and in close proximity to the boiler tubes I8, but are spacedtherefrom. The spacing is desirably about 21/2 inches from the tubes.The only direct connection between the electrode 25 and the tubes I8 isthrough the water itself. Tests have shown that the most desirablelocation for the electrode 25 in an installation such as thatillustrated is immediately below the steam dome I6.

In setting up the apparatus, observation is made of the location ofscale. This is expected to be at the heat-receiving areas, andprincipally around the tubes in boilers. At this area an electrode isinserted into the water, then cold, in close proximity to the said area,and held away from the metal parts. It may be supported by insulatedlegs or straps. An electric lead, duly separated from the metal parts ofthe boiler, is brought outside the shell. Then with a millivoltmeter,with one terminal connected to the lead, spot readings are taken tovarious metallic parts of the boiler. At the point of maximum potentialthus discovered, the lead from the electrode is fastened electrically.The installation is then complete, and thereafter no changes need bemade. Or, if desired and convenient, supporting means, such as thosehere illustrated, may be employed for the joint functions of support andconduction. Thus, for the illustrated installation, the foregoing testshowed maximum scaling at the tubes and the points of highest potentialto be around the steam dome I6. In conformity with the teachings of theinvention, therefore, the electrode 25 is located with respect to thetubes I8, as shown and described, and the straps 28, the trough 20, andthe straps 2I form, in addition to supporting structures, an electricalconductor connecting the electrode 25 to the outer sheet I0. The pointsat which the straps 2I are connected to the outer sheet I0 areapproximately those observed to exhibit the highest potential under theabove-described tests.

It is, of course, not absolutely essential that the connection be madeat the point of maximum reading, although such is desirable. Also, whenthe optimum point is known, a rigid supporting connection may be made,whereby the supporting means for the electrode and the electricalconnection are both embodied in the same structural elements, withoutrepetition of the voltage testing.

In most boilers, the point of maximum potential is found to be betweenthe electrode and the shell above the water line and adjacent the steamoutlet.

It has also been determined that the electrode must be of substantialcoverage by way of area.

`offered the operators only The tests further show a substantial savingin fuel consumption and the elimination of the need for boilercompounds, which, without the apparatus, constitute an item ofsubstantial expense ou the rods, or the use of mesh electrodes. A 5 inboiler operation.

convenient rule of thumb is to embrace within the limits of theelectrode an area equal to about one-third of the area of the metalparts ythat scale. Also it is desirable to extend the electrode towithin a few inches of the ends of the tubes.

It has been observed that the potential difference between the electrodeand the shell will diminish after connection to the shell of `theterminal from the electrode until it becomes zero. Thereafter it willremain zero as long as the equipment is in place. An illustrative timeperiod for this elimination of potential is thirty minutes to one hour.

In a typical water storage tank illustration, a pipe, connectedelectrically to the top of the tank (by integrally attaching it directlyinto the top of the tank with an integral connection-of the typedescribed above) and depending centrally to adjacent the bottom, hasprovedsatisfactory. The electrode should be of substantially the samemetal as the tank, to avoid introducing additional electrolyticconditions into the tank.

Tests made on a number of dierent boilers have shown that uponinstalling this equipment a marked reduction in pitting, foaming andscaling has resulted, along with a substantial increase in boilerefciency.

To illustrate, a certain boiler had continually sufferedfrom corrosiondespite the use of chemicals and various other devices on the market forcorrecting the same. City authorities finally one more limited period tocorrect this condition before insisting upon reducing the capacity ofthe boiler greatly. Without guarantee, this device wasinstalled in theboiler. The installation was the same .as shown herein, except that .thestrap.28 was secured directly and electrically to the outer sheet lllabove the water line, an obvious alternative used when the boiler doesnot already have ythe foam trough. Thereafter, the foaming in thisparticular installation was reduced substantially to zero, and theboiler was permitted by the city oflicials to continue operation at itshigh rating.

In another boiler, scaling, corrosion, and foaming were giving serioustrouble. After .this device had been in use for several months, theseproblems were all eliminated, anda fuel saving of S31/3% was found.

The apparatus has been installed Von many other boilers during thecourse of the preceding months with uniform good results and with acomplete lack of necessity for any adjustments or attention whatever.This is in contradistinction to the use of external electrical powerdevices, and to the use of devices inserted into the boiler, of metalssubstantially different from the metal of the boiler. In the latter,according to one authority, an electrical action is produced, but withthe trouble that the diierent metal itself introduces additionalreactionsthat-are too frequently deleterious. In the present case, theevidence indicates that there is an ele-ctrical action involvingionization of the impure water, but that this electrical action isreduced tozero by the presence of theapparatus, this latterbeing incontradistinction tothe introduction of other and diiTerent electricalaction, as .by external cells or an internal cell formed by the presence.of ldissimilar metal.y

What is claimed is:

1. A protector device for metallic containers for holding liquid to apredetermined liquid level with a space within the container above theliquid, comprising a metal collector, means supporting the collectorwithin the container below the liquid level, and with the metal of thecollector'separated from the metal of the container below the liquidlevel, electrical conducting means connecting the collector to theinterior of the container above the water line, and integral jointsbetween the conducting means, the container and the collector formingthem into van integral group, the metal portions of the device below theliquid level having substantially the sameelectrolytic `properties asthe metal oi the container to which the device is connected.

2. A .protector apparatus for boilers having a metallic shell adapted tocontain water to a level, and .having a space above the water, in-

.cludinga metal collector, means supporting the collector below thewater line of the shell, and with the metal of the Collector and themetal of theshell below the water level, separated from each other,means electrically connecting the collector and the interior of theshell above the water line, said means rincluding at least oneelectrical conductor Vintegrally joined to the collector and integrallyjoined to the interior of the shell above the water line, the metalportions of the device belowthe water level, including that of thecollector and that of the connecting means, having substantially thesame electrolytic properties as those of the shell.

3. A protector device for metallic containers vfor holding liquid to apredetermined level with a space within the container above the liquid,the protector device comprising `a collector `formed ofmetal ofsubstantially the same electhecollector having a portion disposed belowthe liquid level of the container, but with the metal of the portion outof electrical contact with metal of the container below the liquidlevel, the collector having a portion integral with the firstnamedportion, extending above the liquid level, and means integrallyconnecting the last-named `portion to the metal of the container abovethe liquid level, whereby that portion of the collector below the`liquid level andthe container above thev liquid level are integrallyconnected .for transmission `of electric energy of minute character,between them.

GEORGE S. NEELEY.

CHTED Thefollowingreferences are oi record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 Number Name Date 110,553 Dick Dec.27, 18701,579,454 Neeley Apr. 6, 1926 1,773,275 Neeley Aug. 19, 1930 1,984,210Gunderson Dec. 11, 1934 0 `2,251,426 Schmid Aug. 5, 1941 2,282,776Gunderson May 12, 194.2 OTHER REFEREN CES Transactions of TheElectrochemical So- 5 ciety, vol. 75 .(1939) page `34.

trolytic properties as those of the container,

